Dealing With Absurdity
by SaiSymbolic
Summary: It was one thing to be transported to the Naruto-verse by falling into a big screen television. It was another having to deal with what I call "village-ism", learning how to kill and learning how to fit in. I had my work cut out for me. Self-insert, O.C.
1. Chapter 1

**Title:** Dealing With Absurdity

**Summary:** It was one thing to be transported to the Naruto-verse by falling into a big screen television. It was another having to deal with what I call "village-ism", learning how to kill and learning how to fit in. I had my work cut out for me. Self-insert, O.C.

**Disclaimer:** _Naruto _belongs to Masashi Kishimoto. I only own the O.C.s in this story, unless stated otherwise.

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**Dealing With Absurdity**

**Chapter One**

The heat was stifling -or was it just me? My cheeks and ears burned, the weight and intensity of their stares were heavy and sharp. My fingers clutched together, nails digging into the knuckles -an attempt to keep me from sobbing. My stomach was knotted from apprehension and my brain was filled to the brim with confused, alarmed thoughts. Soreness wormed through my body and seemed to pool in my legs more than any other part. The moment I pulled my bottom lip between my teeth was the moment that he addressed me.

"Young lady, could you tell me your story? As _slowly_ as possible." the old man, who I knew as the Sandaime Hokage, studied me with narrowed eyes and thinned lips.

I raised a hand to rub at my cheek, to will away the distracting burning sensation. I nodded mutely, eyes still fastened on my sandals, and opened my mouth to speak. The words seemed to stutter even while locked in my throat and it took a few tries before I could finally get them out. "Well, I..."

The words died on my tongue immediately. What _could_ I tell without them sending me off to the mental ward of the nearest hospital?

It was a situation that was completely absurd and illogical. It was something that could only happen in fiction because the place I seemed to be standing in was _supposed_ to be only **fiction**. It made me think about a writing assignment I wrote during the sixth grade.

It detailed my being teleported to the _Naruto _universe by an unstated, most likely otherworldly force. It was completely terrible now that I think about it; I was a complete and utter Mary-Sue -decked out in Tifa's _Final Fantasy 7: Advent Children _outfit and spamming Suirō no Jutsu on Kakashi and easily dispatching of Team 7. I was then teleported back home by the same man who was staring at me with wariness. The paper ended with me peacefully laying in bed, thinking it had only been a dream, before finding a small leaf, proving that the whole encounter had definitely happened. It was laughable, completely and utterly _**laughable**_. But it wasn't so funny anymore...

Not with my current predicament and, as I thought harder about that sixth grade assignment, I couldn't help but shudder faintly. There were some oddly _similar_ occurrences that coincided with that paper and how I ended up in this world.

It was storming heavily -thunder, lightning, howling winds- and, despite the many warnings from my parents, I still had the television on, watching the anime in question, before the lights suddenly went out. I had a small panic attack before reigning it in to stumble my way through darkness to locate a flashlight or, at the very least, the stove to turn on the ires. The plan was flawless -to me- until I stumbled over my own feet and fell into what I assumed to be the television set. Luckily, it was a big screen...

The next moments are a bit difficult to describe. I was falling and it felt like I was _shrinking_, like my limbs were going through the reverse of a growth spurt. It explained the soreness and irritation in the joints and muscles of my body. My eyes were clenched the entire time and I think I was screaming in a mixture of both fear and pain. Then, I landed in a bush, completely distraught and covered with scratches. It took a moment for me process where I was and what had happened and, before I could even have an emotional breakdown, I was...**apprehended **-for lack of a better word- by two patrolling shinobi.

"Young lady?"

I started abruptly, hands now grasping the edges of my tattered shirt. "Y-yes?"

My voice came out as a high-pitched squeak and it made me grimace at the sound of it. How old was I -seven, eight? The thought made my lip curl in slight irritation; I _**liked**_ being eighteen! I was finally able to read inappropriate things without permission and I had just gotten my I.D.! A soft sigh worked past my lips.

"Child?" There was a small tinge of worry in his voice and it made me look up. He was staring at me with knitted eyebrows, the lines on his face crinkling with the expression.

"...I don't remember." My voice was quiet, hoarse.

"_Anything_? What about your name?"

"I don't remember." I _did _remember but I wasn't going to tell him, or anyone really, that piece of information.

"Your residence? Your age?"

"I don't remember." I was only half-lying that time; I did know _my _home and _mental_ age but I didn't know my physical age nor home in **this** world.

"Your parents?" He ventured once more.

I glared at the ground. I'm pretty sure that I've expressed complete ignorance to every question but _still_ he continued with the interrogation. Did he think asking repeatedly was going to somehow jog my memory? "I **can't** remember anything. At all."

He grew silent and I could feel his stare burn ever deeper. My cheeks and ears felt like they were about to burn off completely; Had I stepped out of line with my tone? I cursed myself, wishing that someone was here with me to take the burden of speaking away from me. I cast a quick glance up at him and a quick sweep of the room before settling back on my sandaled feet. I think I knew what the problem was...

I was _**black**_.

While I mean that in the least offensive way possible, it was ultimately the problem. In the Naruto-verse, having dark skin was a trait that was only seen in Kumogakure. If I remembered correctly, Kumo and Konoha weren't on the _friendliest_ terms at this point in time; As a matter of fact, Kumo isn't really on good terms with _**anyone**_. They could be described as power-hungry, going so far as to kidnapping Kushina Uzumaki, for her chakra and to control the Nine-Tails, and kidnapping Hinata Hyūga to possess the Byakūgan. They were pretty...shifty, I guess.

I wouldn't want to use the word "racist"...No, I'd use "**village-ist**". My skin wasn't the problem but the fact that my skin indicated I was from an enemy village -Kumogakure, to be exact. The two terms _seemed_ similar but they were very, **very** different.

The old man heaved a heavy sigh that snapped me from my thoughts and pulled my gaze onto his face. He wasn't looking at me but instead at one of the two shinobi who brought me here. "Go over what happened, Kotetsu."

My eyes wandered over to the male who was presumably a Chūnin -I wasn't sure what time period I was in. His hair was black and wild and he had a matching mark on his chin that could've been a goatee for all I knew. He also had a strip of bandage running over his nose. "...I'm not entirely _sure_, Hokage-sama. She just...fell out of the sky?"

It came out as more of a question and he looked to his partner for affirmation. The brown-haired male shrugged his shoulders and scratched at his bandana/hitai-ate. "In the most general of terms, she really did fall but it couldn't have been from the sky; if she did fall from the sky, she would've most likely been dead. It seems more likely that she fell from the treetops but then there's the question of _how_ she got up there."

"As we were coming back from patrol, she had fallen into the nearby foliage literally just as we were passing." Kotetsu picked up after his partner. "She seemed to be disoriented but otherwise unharmed, so we brought her straight here."

The Hokage leaned back in his seat, eyes staring at me, sizing me up. Perhaps he thought I was the child of a pair of spies; Maybe he thought **I** was the spy. I didn't want them to take me to T&I. I didn't want them to throw me in prison or execute me. I shuddered again as the numerous horrible thoughts added themselves to the stew of thoughts already swirling in my brain and allowed a few tears to leak out of my eyes -I just wanted to go home!

"Now now, there's no need for tears." His voice was soft, attempting to assuage my distress. "Why don't you and I go for a walk?"

"Hokage-sama?" Both Chūnin inquired simultaneously, but he waved them off, opting to rise from his seat.

He walked past me with sure, steady steps, stopping only briefly to beckon me to follow him. I gave the two Chūnin an unsure glance, realizing that they couldn't do much to save me as the Hokage was above them, before turning to follow the elder. It was a relatively short walk to reach outside, the path only consisted of a hallway and a set of stairs. I squinted immediately as the late afternoon sun beat down on my head and momentarily blinded me.

"The sun _does_ get rather bright here, doesn't it?" He asked humorously with hands resting behind his back. I nodded with a small, unsure smile. I hope he didn't expect me to answer; I was much more comfortable not speaking.

Or looking at anything, for that matter.

I let my gaze fasten on the edge of his robe as we walked. He pointed out numerous stores and restaurants, to which I would quickly look at before letting my gaze drop back down to his garment when I would catch the eyes of a villager. I ignored the half-whispered gossips, focusing on the Hokage's almost absent chatterings. I wasn't really sure of his goal. Was he testing me? It took me a bit to work up the courage to ask. "...Did I do something wrong?"

He chuckled at my question, "It took you a while to ask. Do I make you uncomfortable?"

'Yes, you do.' was what I wanted to say but I didn't; that would be rude and, if it wasn't one thing my mother taught me, it was about manners. "_Don't speak unless spoken to!_", "_Children are meant to be seen, not heard!_" and "_Adults are always right, even if we're wrong!_" were the sort of things I grew up with and seemed to retain even after I was legally an adult. It made me wary of anyone older than me and, more or less, made me into a nervous wreck when going into public places. I gave a small smile at his inquiry.

"It's not you...I just don't really like speaking that much." I fumbled with the edge my shirt. "...I get nervous real bad."

When he stopped walking, I stopped walking. I gazed up to his face curiously, not expecting to see a soft smile there. He placed a hand on my head, gently ruffling the light strands. It made my stomach muscles unclench; funnily enough, I didn't even know I had been holding them in.

"Do you like it here Konohagakure?"

My eyebrows furrowed. It was a pretty decent place -nice shops, quaint restaurants, weather seemed to be pretty good. If you could get past all the glares and stares, it'd be paradise. I didn't want to offend the leader of this place, so I nodded my head with a small smile. "...It's nice."

"What would you think about living here for a little while?"

"That'd be okay." I shrugged, eyes straying away from his face to a random object, which turned out to be a paper lantern. "...I don't have anywhere else to go. No one will like me, though..."

"Oh? Why not?" His voice was still light and friendly but his gaze seemed to harden in suspicion.

I held out an arm and waved it slightly to gesture it. Really, I wasn't even that dark but apparently I was dark enough to be branded as a person from Kumogakure. "I'm the enemy, aren't I?"

Understanding flickered across his face and it morphed back into a kind smile as he lightly tapped my arm, a gesture for me to put back at my side. "No, _**you're**_ not. The differences between two villages has nothing to do with the civilians, especially not children."

My eyebrows furrowed at that; the differences between two villages most certainly _did _have something to do with the civilians but I wasn't going to refute his logic. If being quiet meant I could have a place to live then I'd do it with absolutely no qualms whatsoever. I shifted the weight on my legs a bit and rubbed my arm nervously. "That means I can stay here?"

He nodded, "At least until we can get everything sorted out." He motioned for me to follow him again. "Let me show you where you'll be staying for tonight."

He led me down a nearby path between a grocer's and a large, fenced yard. I watched with building apprehension as the playful screams and yells of other children filled my head; I think...I was going to have to socialize with others; It wasn't something I was very fond of doing. As we rounded the corner, shrill yelling filled the air. I flinched slightly as I caught sight of an elderly woman waving a cane around. I couldn't see who she was yelling at but I had a very good idea of who it _could_ be.

The Hokage cleared his throat quite loudly. The woman stiffened and cast a glance over her shoulder, eyes widening when she saw who it was. She whirled around quickly with a nervous smile plastered on her face and a guilty gleam in her eye. "H-Hokage-sama?! W-what are you doing here?"

"Tekii-san, I was merely stopping by to drop off a potential resident..." He paused, placing a hand on my shoulder to guide me in front of him. "Is...something the matter?"

The old woman, or Tekii-san, glared down at me quickly before turning on a humble smile. My eyebrows furrowed and I curled my lip in disgust, though I didn't say anything out loud; It was rather easy to see through that non-existent façade she had. I think we could all see that she was a bitter, hateful old thing. I wanted to question why the Hokage had decided to let this woman take care of orphans in the first place but I held my tongue, instead giving her a small smile and wave. "...Hello."

She ignored me and turned her attention to Hokage. "A-ah, Hokage-sama, you've brought me another child to care for? We're getting _so_ crowded lately. I don't think I have enough room, ehehehe..."

Judging by the way Tekii-san froze up, I assumed the Hokage had just given her a scathing look. Her face broke into a nervous smile and she grabbed me by the arm and pulled me by her. I went without a word but kept a firm glare on her face. She laughed somewhat anxiously. "I-I mean, the more, the merrier! She'll fit in **just **fine, Hokage-sama!"

The Hokage nodded, eyes narrowed at Tekii-san before they fell to the opposite side of the woman. I peeked around the hunched form of the woman to see a mop of spiky blonde hair. His sky blue orbs were cast down and I looked away quickly, the forlorn look in them too much for me to handle.

"Naruto, how are you doing?" The Hokage asked the boy quietly. Naruto flinched slightly at the question before aiming a glare at Tekii-san.

"Oji-san, this old lady-"

"Was just praising him on how well he cleaned up his room!" Tekii-san slapped a hand over the boy's mouth. "He's been such a good little thing lately!"

The Hokage made a sound, I couldn't tell whether it was because of the old woman's terrible lying or if it was because of how hard both Naruto and I were glaring at her. He cleared his throat once more before fixing his gaze back on me. "You'll watch out for this little trouble maker, won't you?"

I nodded with a smile. "I'll try."

"Good, good..." He nodded, hands going to rest at his back. "Tekii-san, make sure that she's well-rested for tomorrow. I'll be sending someone to pick her up in the morning."

He gave both Naruto and I one last smile before turning on his way. No one moved until he was out of sight, then Tekii-san grabbed my arm in a tight grasp. I yelped unhappily and reflexively tried to tug my arm away but it just made her grip constrict even tighter.

"Come on, you two brats!" Her voice was a low hiss, her head turned to glare at Naruto. "I can't _believe_ it! First, he leaves me with the demon-spawn!" She turned her gaze towards me next. "Then, he leaves some little Kumo..._**skank**_...! What happened to our honored, prosperous village!?"

I would've laughed at her rant if not for the fact that she had my arm in an iron grip and for the fact that her words seemed to have an effect on Naruto. It was more than a little sad to see the boy's usually bright eyes turned into a dull, listless shade of what they should've been. I frowned as Tekii-san tugged us through the door of the large orphanage. I stumbled a bit over my own feet but it didn't stop her from continuing to yank us around.

Finally, after what seemed like _forever_, she released her grip on the two of us. Assuming from our surroundings, I'd have to say we were in the kitchen. She left us for a few minutes to rummage around in the fridge and I took the small reprieve to examine the blonde known as Naruto more carefully. He was a bit on the short side and appeared to be on the slim side too, though, I don't think it was a choice on his part. His clothes were one size too big and I could see a few smudges of dirt on his face and scratches on his arms and legs. His head turned towards me and I quickly turned my gaze to my feet.

"Come, come, hurry and sit!" Tekii-san turned from the refigerator with a plate of what seemed to be ongiri. "Hurry and eat before the other children come in!"

She placed the plate on the table and turned to fill two cups up with water. I pulled myself into a seat, watching the woman with wary eyes before setting my sights on the plate of food. My eyes briefly watched as Naruto stared at the plate with mixed emotions. I had a feeling that Tekii-san didn't take proper care of the boy like she was _**supposed**_ to. It made me question why the Hokage hadn't done anything about it; sure, he can't devote all of his attention to one child but he could at least **fire** this old hag. I reached forward, snagging three of the offered food before pushing the plate towards Naruto.

"Huh?" His voice was quiet and his eyes were wide with confusion. I shrugged, turning my gaze to my lap and nibbling on the rice ball.

I heard the soft scrape of the plate being moved and I was satisfied when I lifted my gaze sightly to see that Naruto had pulled it towards himself and was eating with gusto. I shoved the last bit of my first onigiri into my mouth and put the other two away (don't ask me where) just as Tekii-san placed a glass of water in front of me.

"Drink up! Quickly, now, quickly!" Tekii-san frowned, her eyes glaring at the two of us. "The children will be coming in at any second!"

I gulped down my drink quickly; I was becoming rapidly tired of her nagging. Naruto did the same before reaching out to grab a couple more rice balls, however, Tekii-san slapped his hand away and grabbed the back of his shirt. She snagged my arm, tugging me along and out of the kitchen. We didn't go very far, just down a hall, before she opened a room door and shoved us both in. Naruto and I landed in pile as she sent us one last withering look and shut the door.

I picked myself up quickly enough and after letting my eyes wander around the room for a moment, I held a hand out for the downed boy to grab. His eyes seemed to fill his entire face as they looked between my outstretched hand and my face. I offered him a small smile. "It's okay."

My words seemed to prompt him into action for he hesitantly gripped my hand. It took a slight effort to pull him to his feet and after I did, his eyes went back and forth between my hand and face again. Perhaps he was shocked someone didn't mind touching him...

"You okay?"

"W-what?" He started at my question, hand tightening around mine briefly before loosening up and finally dropping heavily to his side.

I started to ask him again but stopped myself when he seemed to be in deep thought. Had it _really _been that long since someone had acted civilized towards him? I gave him one last look before I seated myself next to a window to look out and take in the familiar yet _unfamiliar_ sight. It was something to see a simplified version of Konoha that various games and anime, then find yourself peeking out of a window and taking in **everything**. Konoha was beautiful -a mix between modern and old, filled with warriors that, to me, are nothing more than fiction.

It reminded me of _**home**_, more than anything. Every foreign object and person that I saw and heard was a constant reminder that I was no longer at my proper home. What were my parents doing? Had they noticed my disappearance? Had they called the police? Did they think I was _**dead**_? The train of thought crashed into me abruptly, sending a choked sob from my throat. Was I **ever** going to go home?

"U-um...are you okay?" Naruto's voice was soft and hesitant. I shook my head, putting a hand up to wipe away tears and snot. Through my bleary sight, I could make out the blonde's figure squatted next to my side.

"What's, uh, what's wrong?"

I sniffed, continuing to wipe at my eyes. I didn't like crying in front of others; I didn't like worrying them. Plus, in Naruto's case, I was afraid of telling him the reason. If I told him that I missed my home, that I missed my parents, he'd probably start crying because he doesn't even _have_ any of those things. I gave him a slight, watery smile. "Nothing, I'm okay."

"A-are you **sure**?" He fidgeted slightly, eyes not meeting mine.

I snorted humorously, pulling out my two stashed onigiri. "Uh-huh, I'm okay. Want one?"

He stared at the offered gift for a moment before taking the food from my hand. He settled next to me and both sat there quietly, nibbing at the small rice balls. I could feel his gaze on me every few minutes, almost as if he'd take a bite and stare at me. It made me uncomfortable but I couldn't find it in myself to say anything in regards to it. Well, not until he asked first.

"U-um, why are you so n-nice" His voice wavered slightly as his eyes wandered over to mine, "...to me?"

"It's common courtesy." I smiled while popping the rest of my snack into my mouth. "Plus, it's hard for me to be mean and you...look like a pretty nice person."

He nodded, his eyes unfocusing and turned my gaze back out of the window. Seconds later, I felt a light tap on my shoulder. I turned my head, catching sight of Naruto twiddling his thumbs. "What's wrong?"

"I look pretty...nice?" I nodded at his question, causing him to continue speaking, "So...does that mean...we can be friends?"

I shrugged, then nodded my head with a smile. "Sure, I don't mind. I don't really have anyone...so I guess it works out for both of us."

When to words left my lips, I **knew** I was going to get some form of...happiness? Relief? I patted Naruto's shoulder, mildly uncomfortable as his sniffles became audible but still wanting to give him some sort of support. It made me kind of mad; who would actually treat a child like this? But it made me think, _'Wow, this world really __**isn't**__ so different from mine.' _-as if it weren't obvious enough but, in my mind, it would be _somewhat_ better. It wasn't.

I gave Naruto's shoulder another pat and an unsure smile, "Hey, now...uh, no need to cry, um..." I let my sentence hang to give him a chance to insert his name. Of course, I **knew** his name and Sandaime had said it earlier but Naruto didn't need to know that bit of information.

He wiped his nose. "...'m Naruto. Naruto Uzumaki. You?"

"I'm-" I paused, eyebrows furrowing in confusion -I didn't have a name, technically. "I...don't have a name. Hm, funny."

"WHAT!?" Naruto leaped to his feet, his voice bordered on being offended. "You don't have a **name**!?"

I shook my head with an amused smile on my face. "Not that I know of. I don't remember much of anything, actually. It's a bit unfortunate."

"Really?" He plopped down next me, arms crossed and pout on his lips. "My first friend and she doesn't even have a _name_."

I snorted humorously while pulling my legs to my chest. "Well, maybe, you could help me name myself? Then, you'll have the privilage of being the first person to name a friend."

His eyes widened comically and a grin grew on his face. "Really!? Well, how 'bout...Sachiko?"

"Nah, don't like that one. How about Aoime?" I ventured.

"You don't look like an 'Aoime'." His eyes squinted and the pout appeared back on his face. "Nozomi?"

I snickered softly as I thought about a certain game and shook my head at the suggestion. "Nope, I don't like he-I mean, that name. I see what adults go through when naming kids -it's hard."

"Oh, I know the perfect name for you! How about...Naoko?" He grinned.

Naoko..._Naoko_...**Naoko**. It was short but not too short. It wasn't too girly and it wasn't too boyish. It was just right. I smiled lightly, "Naoko...I like it. I'm now known as Naoko."

"Naoko-chan..." Naruto gave me another grin before it morphed into an inquiring stare. "Say...why're so much more darker than me? Did you stay in the sun a lot?"

I balked at the question before slapping a hand to my forehead. Great, now I had to teach Naruto the fundamentals of...I don't even _know_! Village-ism? Why Konoha hated Kumo? I frowned deeply, eyes glaring a bit at the sheer stupidity of the situation. I pointedly ignored his question, causing him to ask even more and generally just keeping me up for the majority of the night.

I couldn't wait to leave out of this place.

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**Author's Note:** Now, I'm very sure many of you are probably pretty irritated that I deleted _A Requiem for the Lost_. I'm sorry for that but I didn't really like it so much anymore. Especially after reading the story _The Price of Living _by LovelyWeather -you should go read it, it's on this site. Well, if you like angst...Anyways, I think I'm going to stick with what I know.

Speaking of which, is it just me or is it pretty funny that the only village with dark-skinned people is the village no one really likes? Someone please tell me if Kumogakure has allies 'cause from what I read, Kumo doesn't really _trust_ anyone; I thought it was pretty hilarious. I don't want it to seem like I'm calling Kishimoto a racist -which I'm not.

That assignment that's mentioned near the beginning of the story is real. It was my first **ever **writing assignment in middle school EVAR!11! I would've posted it for you all to laugh at but it got destroyed in an apartment fire we had a couple of years ago and I can only remember the basics of it; basically, what I put in the story. I've come a _**long**_ way since then...

Now, to garner favor from the people who actually like my last story, why don't we play "21 Questions"? I'll give you a question which I will give my answer underneath and you leave your answer in the review. Please? :]

**Question: If you could have a crack!pairing of any two characters -they can be from any game/anime/cartoon/whatever- who would it be?**

**My Answer:** My ultimate crack!pairing would have to Orochimaru (_Naruto_) and Nōhime (_Samurai Warriors_). Both of them are psychotic, both of them love snakes, she's into that kinky stuff (if you call **killing** "kinky"); I mean, what more could the old Snake want? But seriously, if Orochimaru had to be with someone, I'd want him with her...Despite the age difference :]


	2. Chapter 2

**Title:** Dealing With Absurdity

**Summary:** It was one thing to be transported to the Naruto-verse by falling into a big screen television. It was another having to deal with what I call "village-ism", learning how to kill and learning how to fit in. I had my work cut out for me. Self-insert, O.C.

**Disclaimer:** _Naruto _belongs to Masashi Kishimoto. I only own the O.C.s in this story, unless stated otherwise.

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**Dealing With Absurdity**

**Chapter Two**

"Child, get up."

My eyes blinked slowly, clearing away the sleep-induced haze and giving my heavy lids a small bit of exercise. I searched the room slowly, trying to find the source of the voice, before stopping on the relatively suspicious figure looming in the doorway. Clad in black clothes and grey armor, I knew immediately that this shinobi was apart of the ANBU Black Ops. I wasn't sure if I should've been **grateful** for being escorted by a person of such high-rank or if I should've been **offended**. I was only a small child, completely untrained in the ninja arts. I suppose they didn't exactly _**know**_ that, though...

"Who are you?" I knew he wouldn't tell me but it was a reflex to ask such a question.

He ignored it completely. "Hokage-sama asks for your presence this morning."

I nodded slowly before letting my gaze drift over to the slumbering blonde. Honestly, I had only fell asleep a couple of hours ago; Naruto, more-or-less, forced me to stay awake with his innocent and excited chatterings and I didn't have the heart to tell him to be quiet or ignore him. I was miffed when he dropped off to sleep before me, leaving me up and unable to sleep for some reason -maybe the magnitude of the situation was starting to set in. Finally after hours of counting the stars and playing with a loose thread on my shirt, I was able to nod off.

"Naruto..." I scooted next to him, placing a hand on his back to gently shake him awake. He murmured something incoherent, turning his head the opposite way. I shook his shoulder a bit more. "Naruto!"

"Wh-wha's zat?" He jolted awake, dried drool on his cheek making his rumpled visage look even sloppier. "Huh? Naoko-chan, what's wrong?" His eyes caught sight of the ANBU member and he pointed a finger. "Who's that?"

"Don't point at people; it's rude." I admonished, lightly smacking his hand down. He pouted and I smiled softly before frowning. "Uh, I have to leave..."

He stared at me blankly, almost as if he hadn't heard me correctly, before his eyes began to tear up. I bit my lip in anguish; he looked like a kicked puppy. I gave him a reassuring smile and grasped his hands lightly. "Don't worry, Naruto, we can play later. Do you wanna meet up somewhere?"

He sniffled miserably but nodded regardless, "O-okay...Where do you want me to wait?"

"Why don't you wait for me outside of the Hokage's office? That's where I'm going so, as soon as I come out, we can go play together." I patted him kindly on the head before getting to my feet. "Try to stay out of trouble."

The ANBU member looming in the doorway must've thought it odd to see me attempting to comfort a child that was the same age as me; I thought it was somewhat amusing. I was never really fond of children in the first place but something about Naruto made me want to ease his hardships. Hopefully, the decision wouldn't come back to bite me on the ass.

"Child." The ANBU's voice was low, a slight hint of irritation in it. I gave Naruto one more reassuring pat before standing and walking to the shinobi's side. My gaze traveled to his face, taking in the eerie monkey mask. I would've thought the masks to be funny or even cute but...this one in particular wasn't. I suppose what caught my eyes were the eyes holes. They were like a void; perhaps they were symbolic. As a shinobi, you aren't supposed to let feelings get in the way of your mission and the black pits could represent emptiness.

Maybe they were even an omen for enemies; when they look into those eyes, they'll find nothing but death. I shuddered slightly, my own thoughts creeping me out. I could feel the ANBU's gaze on me and, without warning, he placed a heavy hand on my shoulder. Before I could even voice a noise of surprise, I felt a light tugging on my body and, then, we were in the Hokage's office. I stumbled slightly, dizzy from the near-instant trip.

"Ah, there you are. I thought something had happened." The Hokage's voice was grandfatherly -calm with small hints of perpetual amusement. The ANBU made a small grunt and I could feel his gaze burning into me. The Hokage chuckled, "I see, I see. Well, you are dismissed."

In the time it took him to dismiss that ANBU was the time it had taken me to glance around the room and take in two more elders and a blonde-haired man. A feeling of dread immediately pooled in my stomach as I recognized who it was; Ino's father and mind-reader extraordinaire, Inoichi Yamanaka. My eyes lingered on him for a time and he gave me a small smile that turned my gaze back to Sandaime.

"Now, then, I've discussed with my advisers what the best course of action for your wellbeing would be." He cast a glance to the two advisers before turning his attention back to me. "Due to various circumstances, we can't send you back to where you belong because, honestly, we're not quite _sure_ where that is."

"Yesterday, you asked me something...I believe it was, 'I'm the enemy, aren't I?'." He frowned slightly. "What gave you the idea of that?"

Inwardly, I groaned at myself. Why the hell would I ask a question like that when I'm not supposed to remember anything?! I shuffled my feet, gaze falling down to the floor. What was a believable lie? Something that wouldn't give away the fact that I wasn't even _**supposed**_ to be in this world and wouldn't get me carted straight to T&I.

"It's just..." I let out a soft sigh, "I h-heard some of the people talking y-yesterday and they w-were saying things about me..."

It was the truth; some villagers _were_ talking pretty badly about me. I looked from beneath my lashes up at the man to see his eyes narrowed. If he was glaring at me, I wasn't sure so I decided to add something else. "Plus, t-the lady...uh, Tekii-san she called me something, a name..."

"What was it?"

"Uh," I twiddled my thumbs, dragging my gaze back up to him. "She called me a little Kumo..._**skank**_ and said that the village wasn't honorable anymore so I knew that I didn't really belong...here..." I let my gaze drop back down to my feet, hoping that they'd feel at least a small **increment** of pity for me and not send me to get mind-raped.

I could feel a tense air fall over the room and I wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing; it scared me. The Hokage cleared his throat, "W-well, I see."

"Ah, Hokage-sama, perhaps it would be a good time for me to..." Inoichi trailed off. I lifted my gaze back up to see the Hokage nodding.

"Yes, I believe now is a good time." He pulled a pipe from one of his sleeves. "Young lady, this is Inoichi Yamanaka. He is in possession of a special ability that might be able to help you."

I gave a timid nod as I watched the pupil-less man advance towards me. I let a shuddering sigh escape my lips as he placed a hand on my head. His eyes fell closed in concentration and I tried my best not to fidget too much. After a few moments, his eyes opened, peering down at me with knitted eyebrows.

"Your eyes...could you close them?" His eyes closed once more. "And relax..."

I didn't nod or move an inch as I closed my eyes. It was hard to relax but, after some moments of silence, the tenseness in my limbs began to recede a little at a time. When the last bit fled from my body, something..._interesting _happened.

The next time my eyes opened, I wasn't in Sandaime's office anymore. No, I think I was in...my mind's eye but it wasn't what I imagined it to be. It was a small traditional Japanese room with a small table and sitting mats. Near the back of the room were large sliding doors. The pattern on them was relatively simple but that wasn't what caught my eye; on the place where the doors met each other, there was some sort of device -a numberpad it looked like.

_**"Naoko, why don't you come sit down with us?"**_

That voice...belonged to **me** but it wasn't _this_ me. My eyes focused on the two figures seated at the table. Inoichi was on one side, giving me a curious stare before turning his attention to the other sitting opposite to him. A short gasp left my lips as I took in her appearance. Dark brown hair and eyes, light brown skin -she was..._**me**_. Or rather...I used to be _**her**_.

_**"Naoko?"**_ She smiled slightly, patting the area next to her. _**"Don't be shy."**_

I frowned, watching both she and Inoichi warily. I didn't sit next to her, instead seating myself between her and the shinobi. She chuckled quietly but didn't say anything to me. She turned her gaze to Inoichi. _**"What can I do for you?"**_

"Who...are you?" His eyes darted over to me before resting back on her. "Or should I ask who is _she_?"

_**"She's Naoko."**_ She said simply, smile still etched on her face.

"Naoko? Is that her real name?"

_**"As of last night, Naoko is she...and me, for that matter. Naruto gave us our name."**_ She leaned her chin on an opened palm. _**"Fits, doesn't it? 'Docile child'..."**_

"As of last night...? No, her birth name -the name her parents gave her." Inoichi tried once more.

_**"Her parents didn't give her a name because her parents aren't here."**_

"Aren't here?" Inoichi's eyebrows furrowed; he looked like he was getting irritated. "Are they dead?"

_**"No."**_

Inoichi didn't say anything after that. He turned his gaze to me then back to her before rubbing his forehead. I fidgeted slightly. I didn't want to say anything; I didn't really want to think about anything either. She looked like how I..._used _to look but she didn't _act_ like how I used to act. Who was she? Was she my memories? A collective unconsciousness? What was she?

She giggled softly, _**"I'm a defense mechanism. I keep you, among other things, safe from things that can potentially harm you -even yourself."**_

"What?" Both I and Inoichi had the same reaction to that. Inoichi gave me a look before continuing his questioning. "Potential harm? Like what?"

"Like you..." My voice was quiet, barely audible, but I was sure he'd heard me. She nodded in agreement, same smile etched on her face.

_**"Not that I have anything against you, or anyone really, but...there are things you're better off not knowing." **_She smiled brightly but a gleam in her eyes told me that the smile wasn't genuine. _**"Just know that she's Naoko. She's six years old yesterday. She isn't a threat. She doesn't have proper shinobi instruction. She doesn't have any parents or relatives and she doesn't have a village that she belongs to."**_ She examined me for a moment more. _**"Even if she looks like **_that_**."**_

"What's that device?" Inoichi was looking at the numberpad, ignoring her previous words. He held a hand out towards it but immediately pulled it back when a spark of something repelled his hand. "What...?"

_**"That's classified information that only **_she_** can access."**_ She looked at me with that smile._** "But don't bother asking her how to unlock that door. **_She_** doesn't even know how."**_

Inoichi looked at her sharply and she looked back. No one budged except for me. I rubbed the light strands of hair, feeling a bit self-conscious about how I looked in general. Of all the time and places for me to become embarrassed about how I looked and possibly smelled, it had to be when a mind-reader and a defense mechanism I didn't even **know** I made were having a stare-showdown. I coughed slightly, hoping to draw Inoichi's attention. His gaze left her's reluctantly and a soft sigh escaped his lips. "Fine."

The female -she was going to be known as D.F.- waved at both of us, smiling all the while. _**"I'm sure this won't be the last time I see either of you."**_

A blinding light forced my eyes closed once more and in the next second I was blinking them open again. I rubbed an arm against them, feeling Inoichi's hand lift from my head.

"Well?" The Hokage asked.

"I managed to find out some basic information such as a name and an age, however..." Inoichi trailed off before starting again, "there was no information that was particularly..._useful_."

"What does that mean?" It wasn't the Hokage that time but the elderly woman. "What did you find out _specifically_?"

Inoichi sighed softly, "Her name is Naoko but that isn't her birth name because she has no parents or relatives. She's six years old as of last night and she doesn't belong to a village, despite her unique looks. She doesn't have any proper shinobi instruction and..."

"And?"

"And her mind is practically a fortress at this point." Inoichi grimaced slightly, as if the words hurt to speak. "She's somehow developed a defense mechanism that even _she_ wasn't aware of."

I pulled my arm down from my eyes to see that all eyes were on me. I flinched slightly, cheeks and ears burning in discomfort and embarrassment. I opened my mouth to speak but immediately closed it when the two advisers glared at me. The Hokage just sighed tiredly.

"Hokage-sama, if I may speak on the matter..." Inoichi paused, waiting for his leader's permission. When he received it, he continued, "I think it would be wise to enroll her in the academy."

"What!?" The woman practically shrieked. I glared at her slightly but she ignored me, turning her stare to Inoichi. "Why would we do that -give her the means to possibly destroy our village?!"

"Koharu..." Sandaime's voice was rebuking but he looked at Inoichi in curiosity. "Do you have an explanation for that suggestion?"

"While it seems like a negative course of action, I don't believe she is a threat to anyone and could be a great asset to the village." Inoichi looked down at me with a small smile. "There is information in her mind that even _she_ isn't allowed to access. With a defense mechanism such as hers -one that even _I _could not crack- I don't think there is much of anything that can. If she has some unknown orders -which I doubt- she isn't aware of them nor will she ever be."

The Hokage made a thoughtful noise while he leaned back in his chair, eyes watching me. I fidgeted slightly and let my eyes fall to their usual place of the floor. He cleared his throat, causing my eyes to go back to him. "Naoko...what do **you** want to do?"

Be a ninja? Hells yes!

Go back to school and _learn_ crap? Hells no!

It was double-edged sword; in order for me to be a ninja, I'd have to sit through all the crap that I've already learned before. Granted, it's for a different purpose...and perhaps it'll be more interesting than the subjects I'm accustomed to. I bit my bottom lip to hide my excitement. "I'd...like to be a shinobi, please..."

"You're just going to allow this child to be a shinobi just like that?" Koharu frowned deeply. "Homura, what do you think?"

The last elder, the one with glasses gave me a stare. I inched behind the quiet Inoichi. Homura adjusted his glasses before he spoke, "I have no qualms as long as the child is supervised."

"I have an aquaintance that would be willing to house Naoko." The Hokage nodded to himself before glancing at the slightly scowling woman. "Is there anything more you'd like to add, Koharu?"

"No." She tersely replied.

While the thought of living with unknown people frightened me, I had to admit that it was better than living with Tekii-san at that orphanage. Now that I think about it, I couldn't help but wonder if she'd finally kicked Naruto out on the streets. It would only be a matter of time -I bet that was what she was about to do before Sandaime and I arrived yesterday. I flinched slightly at the train of thought; how long did Naruto stay on the streets before the Hokage gave him assisted living?

"Naoko, what's wrong?"

The worry must've shown on my face and I swallowed the lump that had formed to work the words out of my mouth, "My friend...Naruto..."

I could feel an air of apprehension fill the office as his name left my lips. I was probably pushing my luck mentioning him instead of letting things play out but I **couldn't** leave him be now that I'd met him. Add in the fact that I'm -at the moment- his only friend and I wouldn't be able to cop even if I wanted to. I inhaled a large breath of air before releasing it slowly.

"I-I think that lady, Tekii-san, is neglecting Naruto! He's so skinny and his clothes aren't the right size and I don't think she feeds him properly! I mean, she fed him last night but I think it was because I was there and she probably thought I was going to tell you and I think she's going to throw him out and then he'll be on the streets without any food and you told me to keep him out of trouble but I can't do that if he's on the streets and he's my friend and I'm his friend and I don't want him to be lonely anymo-"

A deep chuckle from the Hokage cut off my breathless rant. My eyebrows furrowed slightly, failing to find the humor in my speech. I wanted to feel _angry_ but I couldn't find it in myself, so I settled for confusion. "U-um, did I say something...wrong?"

He waved a hand, "No, you've done absolutely nothing wrong." He looked at both advisers, a knowing gleam hidden in the depths of his eyes. "Not even a shinobi yet and you've already solved a problem for me..."

I made an inquisitive noise but I cut it off when I saw him standing from his seat. He waved his hand again. "Naoko, let us go for another walk. Everyone, dismissed."

Inoichi left in a swirl of leaves as did the two elders, Homura and Koharu. I followed the Hokage out to the small, familiar hallway before the afternoon light blinded me again. A soft noise of discomfort left my lips as the Hokage chuckled softly. He placed a hand on my head, ruffling up my hair, and I had to wonder what was up with people patting my head; I didn't really like it.

"Oji-san? What're you doing? Have you seen Naoko-chan?" Naruto's voice was loud and I couldn't stop the smile that appeared on my face as he mentioned me. I peeked around Hokage's robes, catching sight of his bright blonde hair and clear blue eyes. "Naoko-chan!"

"Hey, Naruto-kun." I stepped around the Leaf's leader's form to meet the bundle of excitement. "Guess what?"

"What?"

"Hokage-sama said I could be a shinobi. I'll be able to go to the academy." I grinned cheekily at his amazed stare. His eyes shifted from me to the slightly smiling man behind us.

"Oji-san, I wanna be a shinobi too!" His raised his small arms into the air as if to push his case. "I wanna go to the Academy too!"

"Now, now Naruto, calm down." He placed a hand on both of our heads, making me pout slightly and Naruto fidget. "Before I can allow either of you to enroll into Academy, there's something you'll both have to promise me."

"What, Oji-san?" Naruto asked, eyes squinting in impatience. "I'll do anything!"

"I have no doubt the both of you will be strong but even the strongest will have rocks and trails in their journey." His eyes darkened slightly. "Promise me that, no matter the odds, that you two will never lose that spark in your heart -never lose your will."

I nodded quietly, immediately picking up that he must've meant the all-encompassing Will of Fire. In theory, it seemed like a simple thing to promise -never give up and blah- but I **knew** that it was much more than that. The Will of Fire was something that could be lost quite easily, if _Shippuden_ Sasuke was of any indicator. Naruto nodded his head rapidly, his eyes bright and determined.

"I won't, Oji-san! I'll stay true to it and become the greatest!" Naruto grinned, hands clenched tightly into fists. "I'll be Hokage one day!"

He gave our heads tender pats before pulling his hands back to his sides. "I'll keep your words. Now then, why don't I introduce you to who'll be caring for you both."

"What?" Naruto's eyes widened, eyes darting to me then back to the Hokage. "Care for us? _Both _of us?"

"Naruto, did Tekii-san throw you out of the orphanage?" Sandaime's eyes narrowed at Naruto's hesitant nod. "I see...Then, I think it's in _**both**_ of your best interests if you're together." His eyes softened and landed on me. "You should've heard how adamant Naoko was about you not being at the orphanage."

My ears burned at Naruto's gaze. I looked away from him and lifted a hand to rub at the scorching appendage. The Hokage's laugh was deep and hearty. "There's no need for embarrassment, Naoko, you did a job of the request I gave you yesterday. Now, come along, children; I don't want to keep my friend waiting for us."

Both Naruto and I followed behind the Hokage quietly. Sometime during the walk, the blonde and I gravitated towards each other in an attempt to stave off the various malicious glares and probing stares. I kept my head down a majority of the walk but I did notice that various shops thinning out, being replaced with trees and grass.

"Whoa...this is where we're gonna live?" Naruto breathed from beside me and I lifted my head to take in the house.

It _was_ relatively large and it made me think that whoever lived here had to either be old, rich or a combination of the two. The house was designed as a tradtional Japanese-style home; it had to be about two stories and the number of rooms it could have was lost on me. I could see that there wasn't much of a backyard as the back of the house was more-or-less pressed against the large trees Konoha was known for; all activities were most likely done in the front and at the sides of the house.

"Ah, Hiruzen, I thought you weren't going to make it." A voice called, drawing our attention to away from the front door and to a small patio of to the side.

"Hiroshi, my friend." Sandaime's voice held fondness in it as we moved closer to the patio, "I've brought the two I'd like you to look over."

Seated at the very edge of the patio with legs folded beneath hims and arms tucked into draping sleeves was a man who had to have been around Sandaime's age, give or take a few years. His hair was dull grey and pulled into a neat bun on his head and his beard was long, reaching the middle of his chest. He was clad in ivory clothing that made him stand out from his surroundings. What drew my attention was his eyes; his lips were set in a thin line but his chocolate-colored eyes were filled with warmth. He reminded me of...an old Kung Fu master.

His legs unfolded as he stood and his eyes swept over both of us quietly. "So you've brought me the Uzumaki child and a Kumo refugee? Interesting."

"Surprisingly, she isn't from Kumogakure. She's from _here_." I could hear the smile in his voice. "Her loyalty is to Konohagakure."

"Hm, I see." The man raised a hand to stroke his beard. "Children, I am Hiroshi Hitohira, current leader of the Hitohira clan. I shall serve as your mentor and family for the years to come."

I could feel Naruto fidgeting next to me and I knew he was bursting to ask questions. "Does that mean me an' Naoko-chan are apart of your clan, Oji-sa- OW!"

"Child, do **not** speak out of turn! It is disrespectful!" A woman's voice scolded Naruto. I turned my head to take in the newcomer, only to be whacked on the head. I let out a slightly pained yelp, hands reaching to cover my small injury. "And do **not** call him "Oji-san"! You refer to his as Hiroshi-sama!"

"Hey, why'd you hit me an' Naoko-chan!? OW!" Naruto earned another smack, followed by my next smack on the head.

I turned to the woman. She wasn't as old as Hiroshi was but her salt-and-peppered hair told that she wasn't as that young, either. She carried herself with confidence and her garments seemed to push the matter. A deep maroon kimono with gold embroidery covered her body and plenty of golden hair accessories held up her long hair. Her eyes were narrowed at the two of us. In her hands was a fan -her weapon of choice it seemed to be.

"At this moment, the both of you shall begin your training as shinobi of the Hitohira clan!" She smacked her fan against her opposite hand. "The two of you shall be bred into ideal ninja, controlled and confident -things both of you lack!"

"That doesn't explain why you're hitting both of us!" Naruto and I both yelped as she smacked us again. I think I could see where she was going with this. I could see Naruto's mouth opening to yell again but I quickly placed a hand over his mouth. He made a questioning hum and I shook my head, putting a finger to my lips.

"Hmph, it seems the girl understands. Though, you are both shinobi first, you are also comrades." She glared a little at Naruto and pointed her fan at me. "You must take into account how your actions will affect your comrades. From now on, when one of you disobeys or performs unsatisfactory, you **both** shall be punished!"

Surprisingly, the concept wasn't foreign to me -my grandmother used to use the same rule for my uncles. It was funny hearing stories about how when one messed up, both would be in trouble. Now that I had to experience it, I could tell it wasn't going to be so funny much longer. I let my hand drop from Naruto's mouth as Sandaime's and Hiroshi's chuckles filled my ears.

"Children, this is my wife, Kimiko Hitohira." He smiled sagely, his eyes softening in affection. "Do not let her brusque disposition perturb you; she is quite soft and tender like..."

"A peach?" Naruto questioned, only for him to be smacked. I groaned more in exasperation than in pain this time around.

Kimiko's eyes narrowed and she pointed her fan out in the yard. "Both of you, go out and play! We adults must talk!" Her eyes lost their toughness and a small smile lifted her lips. "After, we shall go and buy you children suitable clothing...and we shall pick out dinner and dessert."

The blonde's mouth opened again but I quickly grabbed his arm, effectively shutting him up and pulling his away from the three elders. I stopped at a nearby tree and let his arm fall from my grasp. Naruto's face brightened into a large grin and his body shook with excitement. "Can you believe it, Naoko-chan!? We're gonna be in this awesome clan! I bet we're gonna be the GREATEST!"

I smiled at his mirth, "Yeah, so long as Kimiko-sama doesn't give us both brain damage."

His eyes immediately squinted at the woman's name and his little arms crossed together. "She _is_ pretty mean...I like the other Oji-san _**better**_." He scratched his chin in thought. "But she's gonna get us new clothes and food an' stuff..."

"No one's ever gotten me new things before..." Naruto's eyes clouded. "No one ever gotten me **anything**." His eyes locked onto to mine and, despite how much I wanted to look away, I couldn't. "Naoko-chan...if I'd never met you...I don't-"

"It's okay, Naruto." I smiled at him, hand reaching up to ruffle his hair. "That's what friends are for...or are we clansmen now?" I snickered at the cute pout on his face.

Naruto's words stuck with me, though -if he hadn't met me, would he be on the streets right now, cold, hungry and alone? Would the Hokage even have known? Would anyone have cared? Probably not -if I had been from this world, I'd have turned a blind eye to him just like the rest. Hell, I _could've_ ignored him in that orphanage.

But I didn't.

Now I'd changed something. Naruto had never had a family when he was young, according to various resources. Thanks to me, though, he had one. I couldn't stop the small spark of joy at the prospect of _**changing**_ things. There was so much I could do!

But if I change things, will it actually be a _good_ thing?

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**Author's note: **Yay, second chapter done! Ugh, it took me a while to type this and my fingers hurt something fierce :[ I don't know if they have numberpads/keypads in _Naruto_ but, for the sake of this story, they don't so bear with me.

Thank you, my two reviewers: **Tonegawa Rie **and **Shiroi Ichigo-chan**. Getting feedback is delicious :] Oh, and I'm waiting patiently for your next update **Shiroi**. Now we watch each other.

The thing Kimiko does in the story -punish both children for something only one did- my grandma really did do that. In real life, it doesn't make much sense to me but when applied to the _Naruto-verse_, it can be pretty useful.

No answered my question :[ That's okay -I don't mind answering my own questions. You can get to know me better.

**Question: If you have one, what is your favorite Sega Dreamcast game?**

**My Answer:** I have a lot of Dreamcast games that I like but, out of all of them, _Shenmue_ would have to my favorite of all time. It was a game I grew up with and it influenced a lot of things in my life like my love for martial arts films and how I like places that have an almost...rustic feel to them. Plus, the music was pretty kick-ass. _Shenmue_ wasn't just a game when it first came out, it was an experience; well, that's what one person on YouTube said and I am inclined to agree with them.


	3. Chapter 3

**Title:** Dealing With Absurdity

**Summary:** It was one thing to be transported to the Naruto-verse by falling into a big screen television. It was another having to deal with what I call "village-ism", learning how to kill and learning how to fit in. I had my work cut out for me. Self-insert, O.C.

**Disclaimer:** _Naruto _belongs to Masashi Kishimoto. I only own the O.C.s in this story, unless stated otherwise.

* * *

**Dealing With Absurdity**

**Chapter Three**

Living as a member of the Hitohira clan was...surprisingly _normal_.

In the days after Naruto and I arrived, we were introduced to the world of reading and writing; actually, **Naruto** was introduced to that world and **I** was introduced to the slightly painful and annoying world of being smacked on the head by Kimiko-sama's folding fan for all of Naruto's mistakes. As my mind is that of an eighteen-year-old, my grammatical skills and reading comprehension is much higher than that of the Kyūbi container's. I was exempt from the woman's daily lessons but, when she found it too bothersome to locate me for my punishment hits, she just made me read something else while in the same room.

The only time Naruto received a hit on my account was when my curiosity got the better of me and I asked about the location of the _other_ members of the Hitohira clan while eating dinner. We were promptly smacked but Hiroshi-sama answered my question regardless.

_"We are the only members left of the Hitohira clan." Hiroshi continued to eat, his eyes never leaving his plate. "While a portion of our kinsmen were killed during the Second Shinobi War, the majority were killed during the Third War."_

_"Don't you have any brothers or kids or something?" Naruto squeaked, flinching in reflex when he expected Kimiko to hit him. She didn't. _

_"The Third Shinobi War was...a messy affair." Kimiko's voice trembled briefly before it hardened. "Children barely out of the academy were sent to their deaths and for what? Glory? Peace?"_

_"The Hitohira was never a large clan to begin with and we planned to keep it that way." Hiroshi frowned softly and placed his chopsticks next to his bowl. "However, with only myself and Kimiko left, I fear our clan's techniques will be lost to the hands of death."_

_"Is that why you took us in -to continue the clan's line?" I asked with furrowed eyebrows. "I thought clans didn't work that way; don't you have to be related by blood or something?"_

_"Our clan's techniques are not inheritable by blood or lineage. They are hiden: techniques passed down orally. They can be taught to anyone willing to listen." Hiroshi lifted a hand to stroke his beard as he looked at both Naruto and I. "In time, you will be taught these techniques. Until then, however, you shall be trained as I see fit."_

The near-downfall of the Hitohira clan was pretty anticlimactic to me -no dramatic fights, no sworn enemies, **nothing**. It wasn't until later that night I realized why: this wasn't a game. It was no longer just a piece of fiction, something to read or watch to pass the time. I wasn't going to put it away when it got too hard or too painful. It was _**real**_ and I was in the midst of it. Now, as if to make sure I understood the **severity** of the situation, whatever unnatural forces that brought me here decided to make me into one of the two people keeping a whole _**line**_ of ancient techniques known to the world. It was..._grounding_.

Because of my disturbing thoughts and the building anxiety, the night before the Academy's opening ceremony, I slept in the same bed as Naruto.

In the dead of night with only the sounds of crickets and cicadas keeping me company, I eased out of bed and slowly inched my way into the dark hallway. I stood in front of the door just across from mine for what seemed like hours, frozen in embarrassment, shame and apprehension.

Even though I was in the body of a six-year-old, I had the mind of an **eighteen-year-old** -I was old enough to keep my worries, secrets and fears in check. Yet, there I was, standing at Naruto's door with limbs filled with tension, stomach full of anxiety and cheeks burning with embarrassment. I breathed out a shaky sigh and lifted my arm, hand poised to knock on the cool wood before it opened abruptly.

"Ah, um, N-Naoko-chan?" His azure eyes were wide in astonishment and it made my ears and cheeks burn hotter. "What're you doing...out here?"

I rubbed a hand over my cheek and dropped my gaze to the floor. "W-well, I was wondering...I just wanted to know if...I could sleep in your bed tonight?" I took my bottom lip into my teeth as I gave him a brief glance. He looked shocked and..._relieved_?

"S-sure, Naoko-chan." He grinned as he pulled open his door to let me in. I followed him and closed the door behind me before giving his space a once-over. While we didn't have that many items to our name, Naruto _still_ found a way to have his room equal to that of a junkyard. Various books, papers and clothes littered the room's floor along with a couple of small scrolls. I skittered around a pile of shirts before easing under the plush comforter next to him.

We didn't say anything to each other for a time but I could feel his stare on my face even with my eyes closed. I wanted to turn over, to get away from his unnerving gaze but I couldn't. Instead, I cracked an eye open to confirm that he really **was** staring at me, closed it again and asked, "What's wrong?"

He shifted slightly before replying, "N-nothing." I didn't say anything because I knew there _was_ something he wanted to say. After a few more moments, he spoke up again, "Are you n-nervous about tomorrow?"

"Yes." I was more _afraid_ than anything. Who wouldn't be? But it wasn't the fact that I was going through school **again**, more on the fact that I was afraid of what people would say to me or about me. I looked like I was from Kumo but I wasn't -no one else knew that except the Hokage, his advisers, Inoichi Yamanaka and the Hitohiras. I knew Naruto didn't care too much and would be in a similar situation but that thought did little to appease me.

"R-really?" He fidgeted a bit more. "I'm...I'm scared too."

"I know. That's why we have to stick together." I smiled slightly, my eyes opening a crack to take in his face. "...Now let's go to sleep and get ready for when Kimiko-sama smacks us for your room being dirty."

I relished in the fact that I was able to get a small giggle from him before closing my eyes to prepare myself for some deserved sleep. It didn't come right away, not with Naruto's constant restlessness, but eventually, it was that same constant fidgeting and turning that lulled me to sleep.

Despite the fact that I was sure I'd gotten a decent amount of rest, when I opened my eyes and the bright morning sun _burned_ my tender retinas, I was inclined to believe that I hadn't slept enough and proceeded to cuddle back under the sheets with a sleeping Naruto. No sooner had I closed my eyes again, I heard Kimiko's voice practically shrieking, "Naruto! Naoko! Get **up**!"

At the sound of her call, both Naruto and I fell out of bed, landing in a pile similar to how we first met. The smaller male rolled me off of him and futilely began to shove as much of the junk he had into various spaces -under his bed, in drawers, into the _corner_. I snickered slightly at his early-morning scrambling but yelped out when the familiar sting of Kimiko-sama's fan hit my head.

"Instead of laughing, you should've been helping him clean up!" She hissed, throwing her folding implement at Naruto's turned head. She didn't miss.

"It is time for both of you to get dressed and fed for the ceremony." She snatched her fan from Naruto's waiting grip and pointed out the door. "Naruto, you shall go first. Do **not** take more than ten minutes to get cleaned and dressed."

Naruto nodded rapidly, snatching up the clothes Kimiko had placed on the top of his dresser the day before and running out to the washroom. I followed behind Kimiko and headed into my room. Despite having Naruto's clothes all ready, mine weren't as Kimiko couldn't decide on what she wanted me to put on. I didn't really complain much -I would've gotten hit if I did- but I was sure that Kimiko-sama and Hiroshi-sama might've lost a child, a daughter specifically. From the way Kimiko would fuss over my clothes and hair to the way Hiroshi would stare at me for periods of time with nothing but tenderness in his eyes, it made me think they were using me to fill a gap. I didn't mind much...

With that being said, I was glad to see they didn't neglect Naruto; he received the same treatment but it was just that I might've been the only one to notice -perhaps they had also had a son.

"Here. Put this on." She held out a dark grey shirt and a beige skort. "I will brush your hair once you leave the bathroom. How many minutes has it been?"

"Uh..around eight?" I leaned back from her narrowed stare. Just then, I heard Naruto's small steps headed towards his own room before I darted up and out of the room into where the blonde last occupied. I was through in record time, only really brushing my teeth and washing off the important areas before tossing on my clothes. I walked back out and into my room, feeling confident of my time.

"Hmph, six minutes..." Kimiko's eyes narrowed at me suspiciously. I nodded my head at her gaze, picking up a brush and letting her get to work on my head.

"...Such a pretty shade of white..." Her strokes were slow and gentle and briefly took my mind off my impending prison. "Naoko, be careful at the academy; the children may be nice today but they may not be so accepting tomorrow." Her brushing stopped and she allowed me to stand. "Do take care of yourself...and Naruto."

Little did she know, I already knew about the problems I was more than **sure** I was going to encounter. The problems themselves didn't worry me too much; it was more about my ability to deal with them. I was never much of a fighter; I usually sat and took the words bullies threw my way, allowing them to roll off me as if they didn't matter. Luckily, I had Naruto with me and he was more than willing to stand up for the both of us.

"Come, let us eat; I am sure Naruto has already started." She walked from the room, leaving me time to pick up my bag and jacket before dashing from the room. When I reached the bottom of the stairs, like Kimiko-sama had said, Naruto was already eating. I took my seat, murmuring a quiet "Itadakimasu" and began working on my breakfast. It was miso ramen -a small smile lifted my lips as I thought of Naruto's love of the food.

"I'm through!" The blonde grinned while slamming down his chopsticks. "Hurry up, Naoko-chan, Kimi-sama! I'm ready to go so I can become Hokage!"

Surprisingly, Kimiko didn't hit either of us for Naruto's rudeness, instead lifting a kimono sleeve to her mouth. She snorted slightly, "You won't become Hokage with such _terrible_ table manners, Naruto. As a matter of fact, they'd pass right **over** you in favor of someone much more suitable."

I continued eating, keeping my eyes on Naruto's pouting form curiously -would Naruto end up not being a loud-mouth, knuckle-head? Nah, it was in his nature to be that way (hopefully) so that wasn't something I had to worry about too much; he had determination and lots of it if he'd been living in that orphanage for the first five years of his life.

"I'm through." I said as I placed down my chopsticks. Naruto made an excited sort of yelp and darted from the kitchen to the front door. My eyes followed after him, his excitement getting to me. When I turned back, Hiroshi-sama was holding a wrapped box. I took it hesitantly, eyes searching his face for the answer to what it was.

"Lunch." He said simply and turned to sit on the patio connected to the kitchen. I watched after him for a time; we didn't see much of Hiroshi-sama around here, not when Kimiko was always teaching some form of..._something_. I didn't think it was on purpose, per say, but I did get the feeling that he'd probably be teaching us sometime soon. Kimiko's voice pulled me from my thoughts, "Naoko, get in here and put on your jacket and shoes!"

"Yeah, Naoko-chan! OW!" I rolled my eyes as I walked into the area before the door, taking my lick with minimal flinching. I slipped on my sandals and jacket, shouldered my bag and clutched the wrapped lunch in my arms as me, Naruto and Kimiko headed to the Academy.

The Hitohira grounds weren't too far away from Academy grounds, if I remembered the walk with the Hokage correctly. Naruto and Kimiko filled the silence as we walked and I decided that I'd take in my surroundings. We weren't the only ones walking but I could see that many of the parents were straying away from us on purpose. I wanted to lift my hood over my head, to try and block the glares and stares that were being shot our way. I was glad that Naruto seemed too busy and excited to notice.

"Look, Naoko-chan! I see Oji-san!" Naruto's voice was loud, filling up the tense atmosphere around us. I nodded in acknowledgement of his statement, huddling closer to Kimiko-sama's navy blue kimono as we entered into the building. Unbeknownst to Naruto, a majority of the parents seemed to keep their children close to them and away from us; well, the civilian families did.

"Ah, Naoko-chan." My gaze flew up to the adult's face. It was Inoichi, giving me a small smile. Next to him was Ino, who was examining me curiously. "I'm glad to see you here." He ran his fingers through his daughter's hair. "This is my daughter; I hope the both of you will get along."

Ino smiled brightly, "I'm Ino Yamanaka! It's nice to meet you, Naoko-chan!"

Her friendliness and energy was not unlike Naruto's as it made me give her a matching smile. "It's nice to meet you too, Ino." I could feel Naruto's arm hitting mine lightly and I motioned towards him. "And this is Naruto Uzumaki, my...friend...brother..._clansmen_?"

Ino giggled at my unsure answer but I took it as a good sign when she shook Naruto's hand. A light blush surged into his cheeks at the contact and I could hear Inoichi's and Kimiko's amused chuckles from above our heads. After the brief exchange, us children were herded into a seating section away from our parents and guardians. I sat near the front -not because I wanted to be seen but because I didn't want to bump into anyone- with Ino and Naruto flanking my sides.

An introductory ceremony began with Sandaime speaking on his hopes for this generation of shinobi and elaborating on the Will of Fire. I paid little attention to his words -finding the edge jacket more entertaining. While I was sure the things we'd be learning was most definitely different than what I was used to, it still didn't change the fact that this was **school** and I would automatically tune-out anything that didn't interest me.

When he finished, the first of four instructors began to call out their class roster. At every name that was called, I'd jump ever so slightly in my seat; I think Naruto noticed because sometime during the third class, his hand settled on top of mine. It did little to calm my beating heart down but I appreciated the gesture nonetheless. When Iruka stepped forward and began calling names, I felt like I was going to throw up.

"The following students in my class are: Shino Aburame..."

As he called the names, I counted off the ones that I knew in my head; the majority of them were already up. When Naruto's name was called, there were soft murmurings behind me but I didn't pay too much attention to them as I watched Naruto walk away from me with a clenching heart.

"...And Ino Yamanaka." Iruka's voice finished.

Please. Please don't forget me. Please let me be in Iruka's class. Pleasepleaseplease**please**_please __**ple**_-

"Ah, and a...Naoko." Iruka's eyes searched his roster before glancing back up with an awkward smile on his face. "Forgive me for not seeing your name. Please, come up."

And I almost peed myself in relief when he called my name. I left my seat with a happy smile filling my face as I made my way over to the Chūnin. Naruto was immediately at my side with an equally relieved grin as we were led out and into a large classroom that I'd only seen glimpses of in the anime.

Large windows, rows of seating and a blackboard; it was actually just a typical classroom, nothing insanely special except for the fact that it resembled a lecture hall from a college. I was glad to see that we didn't have assigned seating and happily plopped myself down at a window seat in the back. Naruto, of course, seated himself next me, eyes wide as he looked around the classroom. His naivety was charming.

The rest of the morning was filled with typical activities that seemed to be in all schools, regardless of universe; the explanation of rules, the passing out of papers, the wearing of name tags -typical. I _was_ a little embarrassed by the time lunch rolled around -Iruka-sensei had a habit of forgetting about me. I found it ironic -here I was, the "unique" child of the class and I was the one he **always** forgot. I thought sitting next to Naruto would help me stand out...

"Naoko-chan, let's eat here!" Naruto grinned as he sat at the base of a tree. "Then we can go play!"

"All right, I'm coming." I smiled, seating myself next to him and unwrapping our lunch. I heaved out an exasperated sigh as I watched him dig in, sloppy and rude as per usual. "So, Naruto-kun, how are you enjoying everything so far?"

He made his "thinking face" -where his eyes would squint closed and his mouth would pout- before answering, "It's..._**boring**_. Iruka-sensei is nice an' all but he just keeps going _on_ and _on_! Ugh!" He popped a bit of rice into his mouth before continuing, "Then he **always** forgets about you...I can't blame him on that, though."

"What?" I asked, smiling slightly.

"Yeah, you don't say much, Naoko-chan. You just..._sit_ there, I guess." He frowned slightly and hopped to his feet. "I'm gonna go ask if I can play with them, okay?" He pointed to a small group of boys some yards away from us and ran off.

"He's right, you know." I looked up to find Ino standing over me. She grinned happily before seating herself next to me. "You don't really stand out very much."

"Thanks?" I cocked an eyebrow, not at all worried about their opinions. I had resigned my fate to being wallflower _**years**_ ago -I preferred it that way. I was a follower, not a leader and I was content in my place.

"I think..." Ino placed a finger on her chin in thought. "You should sign-up for the special kunoichi class. It'll be good for you!"

I nodded absently, eyes watching as Naruto began approaching our tree, with who I knew as Chouji and Shikamaru trailing behind him. I heard Ino huff from beside me and I smiled lightly "What's wrong, Ino?"

"Ah, it's Shikamaru and Chouji." She crossed her arms, irritation evident in her eyes. "Our families are all really close so I see them even when I don't _**want**_ to!"

A laugh burst from my mouth at her tone. Funny thing was was that she was _still_ gonna have to be bothered by the two as she was destined to be apart of the famous Ino-Shika-Cho trio. She glared at me as the three boys seated themselves in our little group. Naruto turned to his two new friends, "Guys, this is Naoko-chan, my...sister? My friend? _Kin_?"

Ino snorted again and Naruto blushed in what I assumed to be embarrassment. I just waved her away. "It's hard to explain but we're pretty much family at this point." I laughed a little at Naruto's beaming smile.

"I'm Shikamaru Nara." The lazy child motioned to his chunky friend. "An' this is Chouji Akimichi." He looked over to Ino with a roll of his eyes. "Oh...hello, _Ino_."

She licked her tongue out at the male, which resulted in another rolling of eyes and a muttered "Bothersome...". After the introductions, our conversation lapsed into random things such as favorite foods and colors, our opinions on Iruka as a teacher and other nonsense that seemed to interest small children. It made me feel nostalgic -I hadn't rambled about absolutely **nothing** in years.

All too soon, lunch was finished and Taijutsu class -a.k.a P.E.- had started. I actually groaned when Iruka-sensei announced it, causing him to glare at me slightly but I couldn't be bothered to care -I **hated** exercise. We were all shuffled back into the courtyard (why didn't we just _stay_ out there), where we started with simple stretches and warm-ups before going into a few laps. Naruto, _**of course**_, was in the front of everyone, running to his little heart's content while I was in the back with Shikamaru and Chouji.

Granted, I wasn't really trying very hard because P.E. was a class that I'd never cared about -if it wasn't mandatory, I would've happily flunked out every chance I got. This was the _Naruto-verse_, however, and your physical capabilities and health were rather important; they were often components that determined if you lived or died in battle.

Plus, I could practically _feel_ Kimiko-sama's fan swatting me on the head for not trying so, with all the energy I _wasn't_ using, I pushed my legs as hard as they could go. To my shock, I caught up with Sasuke and Naruto, who appeared to be racing each other. They both looked at me with wide eyes before their large orbs hardened in determination and they shot passed me without another look. I wanted to shrug -I didn't really care if they wanted to beat me- but I could feel the fatigue starting to get to me.

When I reached Iruka, I plopped on the ground next to him. I could hear his soft chuckle, "Naoko-chan, are you all right?"

I nodded, the only thing I was able to do for a time as the other students began to drop in a line next to me. Naruto and Sasuke had been running pretty hard and were the last ones to finish, even though technically they were first because they'd run more laps than the rest of us.

I was _mildly_ jealous of the two boys -I was older (by a few months) and taller than _**all**_ the other students but my stamina was complete crap. In my defense, though, in my other body, I was completely nonathletic; I didn't exercise, I hated sports and I was always the one everyone hated to be on their teams during recess -it was terrible. I think I lacked motivation back then.

Here in this world, where dealing out death was the prominent occupation, I had _**more**_ than enough motivation.

Luckily, it was the last class of the day. As soon as the word "dismissed" left Iruka-sensei's lips, everyone pushed and shoved their way out of the classroom. I was in the midst of all the kids, being guided by the flow of munchkins and Naruto's grip on my hand. Before I knew it, we were running towards the figure of Kimiko-sama along with -surprisingly- Hiroshi-sama.

"Kimi-sama, Hiro-sama!" Naruto cried out as we skidded to a stop in front of our guardians. Kimiko's eyes were in their usual narrowed state but I could see a small hint of amusement and affection in them.

"Hello, children." Hiroshi greeted as he stroked his beard. "How was your first day?"

"At first, it was really **BORING**! But then it got all fun when we started P.E.!" Naruto happily skipped along as our small family began the trek back home. "Oh and I made some new friends! I can't wait for tomorrow!"

Kimiko giggled, "Is that right?" She looked at me. "What about you, Naoko?"

I grimaced slightly. "It was okay -until P.E.; I think I'm more of a classroom-type of person. This girl named Ino wanted me to sign up for the special kunoichi classes but I...don't think I want to."

"Hm, I see..." Hiroshi trailed off as his eyes began to follow something. I looked, smile gracing my features as I caught sight of a familiar restaurant. I pulled lightly at Kimiko's kimono.

"Can we get food from there? I'm hungry." I pointed at Ichiraku's. Kimiko followed my finger's trail before her eyes widened. Her leisure pace sped up considerably when she saw it but Hiroshi's hand darted out to grasp the edge of one of her sleeves. She gave a startled yelp as she came to an abrupt stop and gave me a hard glare.

"If the children want to eat Ichiraku's, I believe they deserve it after such a hard day." Hiroshi's voice was controlled as he led Kimiko over to the building, Naruto and I trailing behind the two. We entered the booth-like building and hoisted ourselves up on the red stools. Hiroshi and Kimiko sat next to us and I could still feel her glare on the side of my head.

"Welc- _Oh_." The owner, Teuchi, paused as he took in Hiroshi's face. A grin broke out a moment later as he examined the elderly couple. "If it isn't Hiroshi-san and Kimiko-san."

"Hello, Teuchi-san." Kimiko's voice was terse but Teuchi just laughed it off before focusing on Naruto and I.

"Who are these two?"

"They are our charges: Naruto and Naoko." Hiroshi said, his eyes looking at a menu in his hands. "More importantly, I'd like to order."

Kimiko huffed irritably as Teuchi gave hearty laugh. "I knew it was only a matter of time before you'd come back here, Hiroshi-san -you've never been able to resist my ramen's charms! How many bowls would you like? Ten? _Twelve_?"

"Hmm...twenty bowls of pork ramen should suffice." Hiroshi replied, an odd sort of cheer in his voice.

"He was doing _just_ fine until **you** said something, Naoko!" Kimiko reached around Hiroshi to swat me on the head. She narrowed her eyes slightly at her inability to reach Naruto. "Naruto, come here so I can properly punish you!"

"No way, Kimi-sama! I'm tired of you hitting me for no reason!" Naruto pouted slightly and I couldn't help but wonder if this was when his disobedient streak was going to kick in. I received another smack on the head but ignored it in favor of swiping one of Hiroshi's steaming bowls. Picking up a pair of chopsticks, I took a tentative slurp of noodles before digging in with gusto.

Ichiraku Ramen was unlike _anything_ I'd ever tasted -it couldn't be described by mere mortal words. I glanced at Naruto and Kimiko arguing above my head as I quickly ate through a bowl of the greatest gift to mankind before swiping another.

"Naruto Uzumaki, you will **not** eat a bowl of this mind-controlling broth!" Kimiko yelled, pointing her fan threateningly at the boy.

"I'm gonna eat this ramen no matter **what** you say, Kimi-sama!" Naruto licked out his tongue before stealing one of Hiroshi's bowls as I had and digging in. The regal woman made an indignant sound in her throat before turning her wrath to the smiling Teuchi.

"**You**! Teuchi! You have torn my family apart! You shall pay for your indiscretions against mankind!"

That was how our first day of academy ended and how Naruto's love for Ichiraku began. It was kind of funny to think that the boy's obsession for the food began as an attempt to spite Kimiko-sama. To think that things could change _so _much with my presence...

* * *

**Author's note:** This chapter took a considerably less amount of time to churn out -it was fun to write that's why. I haven't gone too deep into the Hitohira clan yet, it'll be revealed over time; I hope that's okay.

Thanks again to my returning reviewers: **Tonegawa Rie **and **Shiroi Ichigo-chan**. Also, thank you my newest reviewer, **DeadSpectrum**.

Now for the question!

**Question: Who is your favorite **_Naruto_** character(s)?**

**My Answer:** When the series first began airing in North America, my favorite character was Rock Lee. He was the underdog and I was going through this phase where I liked all characters that no one else liked. Over time, his personality and character design won me over -he didn't need Ninjutsu and Genjutsu to be a _bawse_. All he had to do was take off his training weights -even with them _on_, he still kicked some major butt! And so Rock Lee imprinted himself onto my heart permanently.

With that said, me explaining this doesn't mean that Lee will be a love interest. I mean, he might but just because he's my favorite character doesn't mean I'm going to make Naoko fall for him. She might not be with _anyone_.


End file.
